Padding for ironing boards, pressing machine bucks and rolls, and the like



2,215,467 PREssING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 GOODLOE ET AL A. M. PADDINGFOR IRONING BOARDS,

BUCKS AND ROLLS, AND THE LIKE Filed `June l, 1957 sept. 24, 194e.

INVENTORS: Z5-'7J @Mmzgffdgz halma,

ATTORNEY.

Sept. 24, 1946. A. GooDLoE ET A1. 2,215,467

PADDING FOR NING BOARDS, PRESSING MACHINE BUCKS AND ROLLS, AND THE LIKEFiled Jun 1, 1957 2 Shets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS: f tffeailae f/25. Huf/ell)ATTORNEY.

Patented Sept. 24, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PADDING FOR IRONINGBOARDS, PRESSING MACHINE BUCKS AND ROLLS, AND THE LIKE tion of DelawareApplication June 1, 1937,y serial No. 145,710

2 Claims.

This invention relates t0 improvements in resilient padding for thefacing of ironing boards, pressing machine bucks and rolls, and for likepurposes.

Padding for the purposes above mentioned has usually comprised layers oftextile fabric or square woven metallic screening; or felted mats ofvegetable or metallic fibers, hair or other filamentous material; or ofmechanical or fabricated structures including helical compressionsprings, bristle bodies or similar arrangements. Paddings of suchcharacters have not proven altogether satisfactory. For example, woventextile .or metallic material has but little resiliency; felted materiallacks uniformity of resiliency throughout its mass, and, in use, soontends to pack down into a comparatively dense and relatively hard mass;while mechanically fabricated padding tends to easily and quickly breakdown in areas subjected to maximum stresses and wear,

so as to soon present an uneven surface and av body lacking in uniformresiliency. None of these packings are so constructed as to snuglyconform to protuberances on the goods supported thereon againstsmoothing or ironing pressure. It is an object of this invention toprovide a novel construction of padding for the purposes stated which iscalculated to provide not only a desired degree of resiliency which isuniform throughout its mass, while at the same time providing astructure which will easily withstand, without break down, the blows orpressures to which it is normally subjected in use, but will alsoprovide va padding of such structural characteristics as to readilyyield at points to which excess pressure is applied so as to easily andsnugly conform itself to protuberances in material supported therebysubject to ironing pressures, while nevertheless presenting suchmaterial smoothly spread and supported subject to the efficientapplication thereto or movement thereover. of a pressing iron or otherpressing element. y

, To attain the above stated object, the novel padding according to thisinvention is made of knitted metallic mesh material. Such material isinherently more or less springy in character,-

and its springiness may be enhanced by fluting, crimping or corrugating,if desired, some or all of the plys thereof formingthe padding mass;and, furthermore, due to the somewhat loosely interlinked arrangement ofthe knitted loops forming such mesh, there is permitted a local movementor play at those portions of the area thereof which may be subjectedtoeXcess pressure, wherebyA the-padding body.v willreadily. yield vatsuch areas` and thus more closely and snugly conform itself to anyprotuberances on the material supported thereby subject to a pressingaction, while nevertheless maintaining the material, as a Whole,smoothly spread and sufficiently* backed to assure efcient smoothingunder said pressing action.

Other and more specific objects of this invention, not at this time moreparticularly enumerated, will be understood from the following detaileddescription of the same.

Some illustrative embodiments of this invention are shown in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

form of the padding material as applied" to an ironing board pressingmachine buck or roll or other support, as the case may be, a portion ofthe facing cover therefor being broken away to disclose the paddingmass; Fig. 2 is a fragmen- `tary longitudinal sectional view through thesame, but drawn on an enlarged scale; Fig. 3 is a fragmentarylongitudinal sectional View, similar to that of Fig. 2, but showing someof the plys of metallic mesh making up the padding body:r

transversely corrugated to increase the elasticity or resiliency of itsmass.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary face view of a knitted metallic mesh as made ofround Wire, and which is utilizedin the make up of the novel padding;

and Fig. 5 is a similar view showing theknitted metallic mesh as made offiat or ribbon-like wire.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary plan View of another form of padding body madeup of transversely Wound or folded plys of knitted metallic mesh,

the facing cover therefor being broken away to disclose the paddingbody, and plys of the latter also being broken away to show underlyingsuperposed plys.

Fig. 'l is ai fragmentary transverse section of i the padding;arrangement shown in Fig. 6, but drawn on an enlarged scale.

Fig.i8 is a fragmentary sectional view of another form of padding bodywherein the knitted metallic mesh is arranged in layers perpendicularFig. 1 is a fragmentary plan View of a simple' like wire I2 (see Fig.5), or from wire of any other suitable or desired cross-sectional shape.Ordinarily, the wire utilized is of a character having some inherentspringiness', and preferably, although not necessarily, should be of ametal resistant to corrosion, such, for example, as copper, bronze,brass, aluminum or metallic alloys having desired characteristics.

In the make up of the padding as shownk inw Figs. 1 and 2, a suitablenumber of plys of the knitted metallic mesh are overlaid one upon theother until a padding body of desired mass or thickness is obtained.Either the round or fiat wire mesh may be alone employed, or combinalli`tions of both may be utilized in any desired group arrangement or insuitably alternated disposition. rIhe padding body Ill composed ofsuperposed plys of knitted metallic mesh is mounted on a desired supportI3, which may be an ironing board, a pressing machine buck, a mangleroll,

or such other foundation as is provided for the support of material tobe subjected to a pressing action or operation. Over the padding body,thus mounted, is thereupon disposed and suitably secured a facing coverI4. The facing cover I4 is usually made of a suitable textile fabric,and may consist of one or more, plysr thereof as desired in any specificcase.

The metallic mesh material may be either fiat knit or tubular knit todesired ply widths, but, in

ding body is very lively and quickly reacts to normal expanded conditionafter pressure thereupon is relaxed. As a consequence of this thepadding body easily withstands the blows and pressures, to which it mustof necessity be subjected in use,

without tendency to break down or to become unduly compacted into a hardor uneven mass.

In addition to such uniform resilient characteristic, there is anotherfactor which is peculiar to the knitted mesh and which increases @'50greatly its efficiency as a padding material for the purposes stated,viz., the fact that the knitted loops thereof are somewhat looselyinterlinked one with another so as to be capable of mutual give andtake, interplay or relative movement,

.-55 especially at local areas subjected to pressure in excess of thatapplied to surrounding areas. By reason of the possibility of suchrelative movement between the interlinked loops, stretching, expansionand contracting effects are readily @o permitted in the localized areasubjected to eX- cess pressure without unduly deforming or disturbingthe surfaces outlying around such local areas. As a consequence of theseeffects, the padding body will closely and snugly conform it- ;*55 selfto protuberances which may project from the material supported therebysubject to a pressing action or operation. For example, a button I5projecting from the material I5 being pressed (see Fig. 2) will easilydepress and sink into the `am padding body mass so that the latter'willclosely and snugly conform to the button, and in such manner as not tointerfere with the smooth lying of the material surrounding the button,or the proper supporting effect upon the material of :u areas of thepadding body outlying around the point of impingement of said buttontherewith. It follows from this that smooth pressing of the materialclose up to the periphery of the button will be assured. In like manner,heavy seams or other projections from material being pressed will belikewise accommodated by the ready conformability of the paddingmaterial.

If it is desired to increase the elastic resiliency of a padding bodymade of superposed plys of knitted metallic mesh, this may be done bytransversely corrugating the mesh ply. In Fig. 3, for example, thelayers of the knitted mesh are shown provided with transversecorrugations I1. These corrugations are formed by bends in the legs ofthe knitted loops intermediate the oppositely directed loop ends of thecourses of said loops. In arranging the superposed plys of thuscorrugated knitted mesh, the corrugations of one ply may be staggeredrelatively to those of an adjacent ply so that a maximum of springy orresilient effect is obtained. When employing such corrugated knittedmesh, it is preferable to insert between the body formed thereby and thefacing cover I4 a ply I8 (see Fig. 3) of uncorrugated mesh. It will beobvious that the padding body may be made up of superposed layers ofcorrugated and uncorrugated plys in any desired grouped or alternatedrelation, according to the degrees of density and of resiliency desiredin the resultant padding mass.

Referring now to Figs. 6 and 7, there is shown therein a modifiedconstruction of the novel padding body. In this arrangement thereof, thepadding body I9 is formed by disposing superposed strips or bands ofknitted metallic mesh transversely of the longitudinal dimension of thebody. The strips or bands of knitted metallic mesh may be either at knitor tubular knit. Preferably the strips or bands are folded or wound soas to provide successive layers thereof, with those of each layerdisposed side by side, that is edge to edge, and with the strips orbands of one layer superposed in staggered relation to those of anadjacent layer. This arrangement is shown in Fig. 6 more especially,wherein thev strips or bands of successive layers are broken away toshow of underlying layers. In said Fig. 6 the reference character 2Bindicates the strips or bands of an outer layer, 2l the strips or bandsof an underlying succeeding layer, 22 the strips or bands of a nextsucceeding layer, and 23 the strips or bands of a following underlyinglayer. It Will be observed that the strips or bands of -one layer arestaggered relative to those of adjacent layers. While, as stated, suchstaggered relation of the strips or bands is deemed preferable, sucharrangement is not absolutely essential, since if desired the strips orbands may be in register, or may be criss-crossed or disposed in otherdesired associated relation as may be deemedof advantage in any givencase.

It will also be understood that if it be desired to increase the elasticresiliency of the padding body, thus made up of superposed layers ofstrips or bands of knitted metallic mesh, said strips or bands may beiiuted, crimped or corrugated; and that strips or bands so treated maylbe combined in any desired manner with normal strips or bands.

Over the padding body made up of superposed layers of strips or bands asdescribed is arranged a facing cover 24, such, e. g., as one or moreplys of a suitable textile fabric and said padding body ismounted on adesired support 25, which may be its an ironing board, pressing machinebuck, mangle roll, or the like.

In Fig. 8 is shown another modied construction of padding body made upof the knitted metallic mesh material. In this form of padding body, theknitted metallic mesh is provided in strips or bands, as 2B, of a Widthcorresponding to the thickness of the padding body to be formedtherewith, but instead of disposing the bands horizontally or parallelto the plane of the supporting surface provided by the mass thereof, themesh material is suitably arranged in layers 27 disposed to standedgewise or perpendicular to the plane of the supporting surfaceprovided by the mass thereof. The strips or bands may be corrugated,uted or crimped or may be left straight as is deemed desirable in anygiven case. The padding body thus formed Will also be found to possess aconsiderable degree of depressive resiliency, due to the inherentspringiness of the metallic Wire loops by which the same ischaracterized. As in the other examples, when the padding body of thiskind is employed as a support for material to be subjected to a pressingaction, the padding body is mounted on a suitable base 28 and its outersurface is covered by a suitable facing cover 29.

While the novel padding material as above described is adapted for useas a support for material to be subjected to a pressing action oroperation, it Will be understood that the same is also adapted forvarious other uses. For example, the padding is Well adapted for use infurniture and like upholstery Work, and for other purposes in connectionWith which a conformable and uniformly resilient padding material isdesired.

It Will be obvious that many changes or Variations could be made Withrespect to the novel padding material above described, and manyapparently diierent embodiments of this invention could be made withoutdeparting from the scope thereof as dened in the following claims. It istherefore intended that all matter contained in the above description orshown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrativeand not in a limiting sense.

We claim:

l. A padding body formed from knitted metallic mesh comprisingsuperimposed layers of knitted bands, the bands of each layer being laidsubstantially transverse to the length of the body and arranged edge toedge, the bands of adjacent layers being disposed in relative staggeredrelation, and the bands of at least some of said layers havingcorrugations transverselyv traversing the same, said corrugations beingformed by bends in the legs of the knitted loops intermediate theoppositely directed loop ends of the courses of said loops.

2. A resilient pressure sustaining pad comprising, a suitable base, apadding body supported by said base, said padding body being formed frommetallic mesh comprising superimposed layers of knitted bands, the bandsof each layer being laid substantially transverse to the length of thebody and arranged edge to edge, the bands of adjacent layers beingdisposed in relative staggered relation, the bands `of at least some ofsaid layers having corrugations transversely traversing the same, saidcorrugations being formed by bends in the legs of the knitted loopsintermediate the oppositely directed loop ends of the courses of saidloops, and a facing of flexible material covering said padding body. 4

ALFRED M. GOODLOE. RALF L. I-LARTWELL.

